Get Rid of Fishy Tasting Fish

Suzanne Driessen, Extension Educator — Food Safety

Revised 2012 by author.

Selecting and Purchasing Fish and Seafood

Fish tastes "fishy" when it hasn't been handled properly. To avoid "fishy" fish, smell and feel it. It should have a fresh and mild odor. It should be firm to touch and "spring back" into place. If you can see your fingerprint or it has a strong odor, the fish is old.

Don't buy cooked seafood like shrimp, crab or smoked fish displayed in the same case as raw fish. Juices from the raw fish can transfer bacteria onto the cooked or ready-to-eat fish. For frozen seafood, look for frost or ice crystals. This is a sign that the fish has been stored for a long time or thawed and refrozen.

How to Freeze Fish

Thawing and Cooking Tasty Frozen Fish

Thawing methods

Fish cooks more evenly if thawed before cooking.

For best quality, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

If you need to thaw fish quickly, place in a tightly closed plastic bag and put in cold water for about an hour. If you are using a microwave to thaw, put on "defrost" setting. Remove the fish from the microwave while the fish is still icy but pliable. Cook immediately.

Baking or broiling fish

If baking or broiling allow 10 minutes per inch of thickness until white and flaky (145° F on a food thermometer.) Don't overcook fish. Cooking fish at too high of a temperature or for too long a time toughens it, dries it out and destroys the flavor.